1.This Act may be cited as the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Act
.
2.The purposes of this Act are to—
(1)recognize the important contributions made to American culture and history by African-Americans known as the Gullah/Geechee who settled in the coastal counties of South Carolina and Georgia;
(2)assist State and local governments and public and private entities in the South Carolina and Georgia in interpreting the story of the Gullah/Geechee and preserving Gullah/Geechee folklore, arts, crafts, and music; and
(3)assist in identifying and preserving sites, historical data, artifacts, and objects associated with the Gullah/Geechee for the benefit and education of the public.
3.For the purposes of this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1)The term Commission means the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission established under this Act.
(2)The term Heritage Corridor means the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor established by this Act.
(3)The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
4.Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
(a)There is established the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
(b)
(1)The Heritage Corridor shall be comprised of those lands and waters generally depicted on a map entitled Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor
numbered ___ and dated ____. The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service and in an appropriate State office in each of the States included in the Heritage Corridor. The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register, as soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act a detailed description and map of the boundaries established under this subsection.
(2)The boundaries of the heritage corridor may be revised if the revision is—
(A)proposed in the management plan developed for the Heritage Area;
(B)approved by the Secretary in accordance with this Act; and
(C)placed on file in accordance with paragraph (1).
(c)The Heritage Corridor shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
5.Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission
(a)There is hereby established a commission to be known as Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission
whose purpose shall be to assist Federal, State, and local authorities in the development and implementation of a management plan for those land and waters specified in section 4.
(b)The Commission shall be composed of 9 members appointed by the Secretary as follows:
(1)4 individuals nominated by the State Historic Preservation Officer of South Carolina and 2 individuals nominated by the State Historic Preservation Officer of Georgia and appointed by the Secretary.
(2)2 individuals from South Carolina and 1 individual from Georgia who are recognized experts in historic preservation, anthropology, and folklore, appointed by the Secretary.
(c)Members of the Commission shall be appointed to terms not to exceed 3 years. The Secretary may stagger the terms of the initial appointments to the Commission in order to assure continuity of operation. Any member of the Commission may serve after the expiration of their term until a successor is appointed. A vacancy shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made.
(d)The Commission shall terminate 10 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
6.Operation of the Commission
(a)To further the purposes of the Heritage Corridor, the Commission shall—
(1)prepare and submit a management plan to the Secretary in accordance with section 7;
(2)assist units of local government and other persons in implementing the approved management plan by—
(A)carry out programs and projects that recognize, protect, and enhance important resource values within the Heritage Corridor;
(B)establishing and maintaining interpretive exhibits and programs within the Heritage Corridor;
(C)developing recreational and educational opportunities in the Heritage Corridor;
(D)increasing public awareness of and appreciation for the historical, cultural, natural, and scenic resources of the Heritage Corridor;
(E)protecting and restoring historic sites and buildings in the Heritage Corridor that are consistent with heritage corridor themes;
(F)ensuring that clear, consistent, and appropriate signs identifying points of public access and sites of interest are posted throughout the Heritage Corridor; and
(G)promoting a wide range of partnerships among governments, organizations, and individuals to further the purposes of the Heritage Corridor;
(3)consider the interests of diverse units of government, business, organizations, and individuals in the Heritage Corridor in the preparation and implementation of the management plan;
(4)conduct meetings open to the public at least quarterly regarding the development and implementation of the management plan;
(5)submit an annual report to the Secretary for any fiscal year in which the Commission receives Federal funds under this Act, setting forth its accomplishments, expenses, and income, including grants made to any other entities during the year for which the report is made;
(6)make available for audit for any fiscal year in which it receives Federal funds under this Act, all information pertaining to the expenditure of such funds and any matching funds, and require all agreements authorizing expenditures of Federal funds by other organizations, that the receiving organization make available for audit all records and other information pertaining to the expenditure of such funds; and
(7)encourage by appropriate means economic viability that is consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Corridor.
(b)The Commission may, for the purposes of preparing and implementing the management plan, use funds made available under this Act to—
(1)make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with the States of South Carolina and Georgia, political subdivisions of those States, a nonprofit organization, or any person;
(2)hire and compensate staff;
(3)obtain funds from any source including any that are provided under any other Federal law or program; and
(4)contract for goods and services.
7.
(a)The management plan for the Heritage Corridor shall—
(1)include comprehensive policies, strategies, and recommendations for conservation, funding, management, and development of the Heritage Corridor;
(2)take into consideration existing State, county, and local plans in the development of the management plan and its implementation;
(3)include a description of actions that governments, private organizations, and individuals have agreed to take to protect the historical, cultural, and natural resources of the Heritage Corridor;
(4)specify the existing and potential sources of funding to protect, manage, and develop the Heritage Corridor in the first 5 years of implementation;
(5)include an inventory of the historical, cultural, natural, resources of the Heritage Corridor related to the themes of the Heritage Corridor that should be preserved, restored, managed, developed, or maintained;
(6)recommend policies and strategies for resource management that consider and detail the application of appropriate land and water management techniques, including the development of intergovernmental and interagency cooperative agreements to protect the Heritage Corridor’s historical, cultural, and natural resources;
(7)describe a program for implementation of the management plan including plans for resources protection, restoration, construction, and specific commitments for implementation that have been made by the Commission or any government, organization, or individual for the first 5 years of implementation;
(8)include an analysis and recommendations for the ways in which Federal, State, or local programs may best be coordinated to further the purposes of this Act; and
(9)include an interpretive plan for the Heritage Corridor.
(b)Submittal of management planThe Commission shall submit the management plan to the Secretary for approval not later than 3 years after funds are made available for this Act.
(c)If the Commission fails to submit the management plan to the Secretary in accordance with subsection (b), the Heritage Corridor shall not qualify for Federal funding until the management plan is submitted.
(d)Approval or disapproval of management plan
(1)The Secretary shall approve or disapprove the management plan not later than 90 days after receiving the management plan.
(2)In determining whether to approve the management plan, the Secretary shall consider whether—
(A)the Commission has afforded adequate opportunity, including public hearings, for public and governmental involvement in the preparation of the management plan;
(B)the resource preservation and interpretation strategies contained in the management plan would adequately protect the cultural and historic resources of the Heritage Corridor; and
(C)the Secretary has received adequate assurances from appropriate State and local officials whose support is needed to ensure the effective implementation of the State and local aspects of the plan.
(3)Action following disapprovalIf the Secretary disapproves the management plan, the Secretary shall advise the Commission in writing of the reasons therefore and shall make recommendations for revisions to the management plan. The Secretary shall approve or disapprove a proposed revision not later than 60 days after the date it is submitted.
(4)Substantial amendments to the management plan shall be reviewed and approved by the Secretary in the same manner as provided in the original management plan. The Commission shall not use Federal funds authorized by this Act to implement any amendments until the Secretary has approved the amendments.
8.Authorities of the Secretary
(a)Technical and financial assistance
(1)Upon a request of the Commission, the Secretary may provide technical and financial assistance for the development and implementation of the management plan.
(2)In providing assistance under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to actions that assist in—
(A)conserving the significant cultural, historical, and natural resources of the Heritage Corridor; and
(B)providing educational and interpretive opportunities consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Corridor.
(3)Spending for non-federal property
(A)The Commission may expend Federal funds made available under this Act on nonfederally owned property that is—
(i)identified in the management plan; or
(ii)listed or eligible for listing on the National Register for Historic Places.
(B)Any payment of Federal funds made pursuant to this Act shall be subject to an agreement that conversion, use, or disposal of a project so assisted for purposes contrary to the purposes of this Act, as determined by the Secretary, shall result in a right of the United States to compensation of all funds made available to that project or the proportion of the increased value of the project attributable to such funds as determined at the time of such conversion, use, or disposal, whichever is greater.
9.Duties of other Federal agenciesAny Federal agency conducting or supporting activities directly affecting the Heritage Corridor shall—
(1)consult with the Secretary and the Commission with respect to such activities;
(2)cooperate with the Secretary and the Commission in carrying out their duties under this Act and, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate such activities with the carrying out of such duties; and
(3)to the maximum extent practicable, conduct or support such activities in a manner in which the Commission determines will not have an adverse effect on the Heritage Corridor.
10.In furtherance of the purposes of this Act and using the authorities made available under this Act, the Commission shall establish one or more Coastal Heritage Centers at appropriate locations within the Heritage Corridor.
11.Authorization of Appropriations
(a)There is authorized to be appropriated for the purposes of this Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not more than a total of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the Heritage Corridor under this Act.
(b)Federal funding provided under this Act may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any activity for which assistance is provided under this Act.
(c)The Secretary may accept in-kind contributions as part of the non-Federal cost share of any activity for which assistance is provided under this Act.
12.The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under this Act shall terminate on the day occurring 15 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.